LESSINGHAM
PARISH COUNCIL

St Andrew is a Church of England Church  in Hempstead in the civil parish of Lessingham. It is a grade II* listed building.

 

The church was constructed sometime prior to the end of the 14th century, dedicated to St Andrew. The building still retains almost all of its original architecture, including its completely unrestored, uneven top beam.

 

The real significance of the church comes from the rare quality of the painting on the rood screen.The screen consists of two ranges of eight panels each, the panels arranged in pairs. In February 1982, a thief armed with a screwdriver removed one the priceless painted boards of the rood screen. On it was an image of St. Eligius. The panel has never been recovered.

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The parish church of Lessingham is called All Saints. The nave and chancel are as one and have a thatched roof. The church tower dates from the later part of the 13th century, although the windows in the belfry date from the 14th century. The font is from the 13th century, is constructed from Purbeck marble.  The village also has a Methodist Church  which is situated on the parish boundary between Lessingham and the nearby village of Ingham.